The Oaktree Prospectus

OUR SCHOOL

The Oaktree School opened in 1967 adjoining The Hermitage School. The school caters for children of infant school age from St John's and the surrounding areas. Although built in the 1960s the school has been constantly updated and provides 21st century facilities and excellent classrooms including a spacious learning resource centre which houses a well equipped computer suite, libraries and learning areas.

The school's mission statement is "Learning Together to achieve Excellence" with the philosophy of complementing educational excellence with a diverse and wide range of learning experiences to ensure the children get the most out of their life at school.

The school has been recognised for its achievements receiving the Basic Skills Award for the third time, the Healthy schools award, The Eco Schools Green Flag Award and 'Investors in People' accreditation.

OUR AIMS

Our aim is to provide a secure, happy, caring and inspiring learning environment:

• Where a smooth transition from home to school is valued.

• Where independence, positive values, co-operation, friendship and self-discipline are fostered.

• Where children are encouraged to develop their intellectual and academic potential.

• Where the creative curriculum is broad, balanced and relevant to all children.

• Where all children have full access to the curriculum and that the specific needs of children and adults are met.

• Where children show respect and care for each other and the environment.

• Where care is given to develop the whole child; spiritually, physically, emotionally and intellectually.

• Where children's contribution to school life is valued and praised.

• Where there are strong home, school and community partnerships.

• Where the parents, staff and governors are justifiably proud of the school.

Classes

At The Oaktree School there are nine class bases. All classes have a maximum of thirty children, which consist of three Foundation classes, three year 1 class, three year 2 classes. An excellent staff team work together to provide an education of a high standard which is consistent throughout each year group.

We endeavour to cater for the range of learning styles, visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic, within a variety of learning environments. We encourage drinking water throughout the day and regular 'Brain Breaks'. Edward De Bono 'Thinking Skills' are taught throughout the school.

Foundation Stage

Our aim is to make the transition into school life as smooth as possible for all children and give them the best possible start. We work closely with parents in order to foster personal, social and emotional well-being in all children, promote positive attitudes to learning, enhance children's social skills and help children to acquire the attention, persistence and thinking skills they need to access the curriculum in the years that follow. We aim to provide high quality care and education.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Mathematical Development

Statement on Curriculum Policy

It is the policy of the Governing Body that the Oaktree School should offer a balanced and broadly-based curriculum.

Taking account of the Foundation Stage Curriculum for four years olds and the requirements of the National Curriculum, the school curriculum should promote opportunities for individuals to acquire knowledge; skills; understanding and an awareness of spiritual, moral, cultural and social values to develop a capacity for learning and physical activity within a secure and happy environment.

Key Stage 1 - Years 1 and 2

The curriculum is organised through an integrated cross curricular approach. This is usually topic based although it is often necessary to teach some elements of the programme of study in specific lessons. We use a variety and range of teaching styles. We believe no single style of teaching will be suitable for all purposes: sometimes it will be appropriate to teach the class as a whole; sometimes to teach small groups or individuals. Pupils should carry considerable responsibility for deciding the direction of their own work.

Our curriculum is carefully planned throughout the school to ensure equal access for all children. The teachers meet every week to plan the work that is to be undertaken within the classroom in great detail. The school has achieved the Basic Skills Quality Mark for good work in Literacy and Numeracy.

Literacy

Although literacy permeates all areas of the curriculum we also teach it as a subject in its own right, following the objectives incorporated in the National Literacy Strategy. The children are exposed to a range of literature which will provide them with ideas about style and content as well as help develop an awareness of standard written English. The writing process is supported by the use of I.T. in all classrooms.

Children are encouraged to express themselves clearly and confidently and to listen attentively in a variety of situations, to adults and each other.

We endeavour to teach children to become fluent, independent readers who read with understanding and enthusiasm. We read stories, poems or non-fiction texts daily with the class and in groups.

Parental involvement in the reading process is strongly encouraged and a child's reading progress is closely monitored through a home/school reading record diary.

Mathematics

The National Numeracy Strategy (a government initiative) has been successfully implemented into all classes. Children require a lot of practical experiences before they start to record on paper. Our curriculum teaches number skills that are applied to problem solving situations to assist mathematics in everyday life. Children are also taught the concepts of space, shape and measurement.

Children are provided with a lot of practical experiences through investigative work, learning about life processes, materials and physical processes. They are encouraged to relate their knowledge and understanding to their everyday experiences.

Design Technology

Children are taught to design, make and evaluate items using a range of materials. Comparisons are made with commercially produced artefacts and improvements suggested. In-depth projects are undertaken by the children.

History

Children are taught an awareness of the past and how it is different from the present day. They are helped to understand historical events through story, role play, visits and visitors, artefacts, and research.

Children are encouraged to develop observational skills whilst appreciating the work of different artists. They are given the opportunity to develop a variety of techniques using a wide range of materials in the evaluation of their own work.

Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) and Citizenship

PSHE permates all aspects of our work at The Oaktree School. It is our aim to give children the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to lead confident, healthy, independent lives and to become informed, active, responsible citizens. Sex Education is not taught as a discreet subject but children's questions are handled sensitively.

The children use computers from the time that they first start school. They develop keyboard and mouse skills initially and move onto word processing and data handling.

School visits and visitors

A wide variety of visitors come into school to support our learning and children have the opportunity to undertake visits outside of school. These experiences are undertaken by all children to support learning, offering wonderful opportunities for the children to enrich their curriculum studies in a real-life situation.

Music

Children develop their composition and performance skills in all years. They are taught to perform and compose using voices and instruments with increasing confidence.

Children listen to and appraise a wide range of musical styles and performances from around the world. Regular performances are staged for parents and visitors.

There are opportunities to learn an instrument with Surrey County Arts team of peripatetic teachers. The range of instruments offered is reviewed regularly to ensure we are reflecting our pupils' interests. A charge is made for these services by Surrey County Arts.

Physical Education

Opportunities are provided for gymnastics, dance, games, athletic activities and outdoor activities.

Gymnastic skills are developed and linked together into sequences which are then applied onto the apparatus.

Children are encouraged to develop imaginative sequences in response to a variety of stimuli during dance sessions.

During games children develop and have opportunities to practice a variety of skills. These are built up into small team games, demonstrating both co-operative and competitive approaches. These activities take place outside on the playground or the field weather permitting.

The use of the school grounds is important in many aspects of our learning environment; we are currently developing these even further to provide a year round cross curricular resource for the children.

All of our children are developing green fingers whilst developing our grounds, by weeding, planting up pots and baskets and sharing their own ideas for the improvement of the grounds.

Every class has a patch in the Vegetable Garden in which to cultivate, from seeds, their own vegetables. It is the responsibility of each class to care for their plants and ensure that they reach maturity. Extra vegetables are sold by the older children at our Farmer's Market during the Summer Term.

The grounds are often used to hold school and fund raising events (organised by 'The Hermitage and Oaktree Parents Association'). These range from school sports days and grounds days to the summer fair. These are popular and great fun and many parents are involved in making them a success.

The trim trail is always popular especially the ropes, balancing beams and rope walk. The equipment was designed for and used by all our children.

We firmly believe that both parents and teachers need to be involved in the child's education in order to maximise their potential. In support of this we are keen to foster the Home-School partnership throughout your child's time at our school.

We operate an 'open door' policy and wish all parents to feel able to contact the school in person, or by telephone or letter.

All parents, pupils and teachers will be invited to sign a 'Home-School Agreement' at the beginning of every academic year.

At the beginning of every half term your child will bring home a grid identifying the content of the curriculum for that half term. This advice is offered to help you as parents when supporting your child at home and to further develop Home-School links. The children also bring home a home school book to enable communication between your child's teacher and yourselves.

There are many areas of school life in which we encourage parents to become involved. This may be offering time skills or expertise in a particular subject to the school.

We greatly value support from parents which can encompass general and specific activities in the daily life of the school.

Parental Involvemnet

Parents who come into the school regularly enjoy the involvement and insight it gives them into school life.

Parents have a vital role to play in supporting the Hermitage and Oaktree Parents Association (HOPA) by raising funds and supporting school events.

Communication

There are a number of opportunities for parents to visit the school to discuss or view aspects of school life. These include:

• Formal Parent-Teacher consultations held twice a year to discuss targets with your child's teacher

• Foundation stage parents will have three opportunities to discuss progress, with the third in the Summer Term to present their child's Foundation Stage Profile.

• Curriculum Evenings - exploring specific areas of the curriculum with parents.

• Celebration Evening - held in the Summer Term to celebrate the children's work and achievements over the year.

• New Parent's evening - held in the Summer Term for parents of children joining the Reception classes the following September.

• New Children's Story sessions - During the term prior to starting school children are invited to weekly story sessions with a parent or carer. This helps the children get to know some of the adults that they will be working with at the start of school life as well as meeting some of the other children that will be starting in September, together with their parents.

• Children's performances - parents are invited to enjoy occasional performances.

Discipline

The school policy for discipline is understood by all staff and children and is consistent throughout the school.

The children are fully aware of the school's high expectations. Class rules, rewards and consequences are discussed and agreed with the children at the start of the academic year and we ensure that there is consistency across the year group. Positive reinforcement is used regularly with the children, encouraging appropriate behaviour with the use of rewards. If children have difficulty conforming to the rules there is a hierarchy of consequences that are used, these include informing parents.

Parents receive information about the class rules, rewards and consequences in order to support the policy at home.

For children who regularly misbehave a meeting with the parents and teacher is organised when an individual education plan (IEP) is agreed to ensure a consistent approach to help improve the child's behaviour.

Special educational needs

The Oaktree School is committed to educational inclusion. The Governing Body, Headteacher and staff aim to ensure that all the children enjoy a broad, balanced and relevant education.

In meeting the pupils' educational needs, the school has a high regard for the principles and practices set out in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2003 ("Send 2003") and supporting Code.

It is our priority to ensure that barriers to learning are removed and to enable all our children to access the broad and balanced curriculum fully. We will achieve these aims by meeting our short-term objectives and by implementation of a well-resourced and administered programme of support and differentiated teaching.

We aim to maintain close relationships between home and school and to listen to the voice of the pupil in any decisions being made for him/her.

Religious Education

Our work ensures that our children have an understanding of the Christian faith, as laid down in legislation. We also address other faiths in our studies and provide experiences that highlight the fact that our children belong in a multi-cultural society with a wide range of beliefs and cultural experiences.

Parents have the right to withdraw children from lessons with any religious content, or from assembly if they so desire by arrangement with the Headteacher.

Assemblies

Assemblies are a time when the children and staff join as a whole community. These times help us to learn to live together with understanding and sensitivity towards one another.

Every Monday we hold our Celebration Assembly where we celebrate success, both inside and outside of school. We celebrate school achievements and present "Attendance Ted" to the class with the best attendance and the "Eco Award" to the class that was the most ecologically friendly in the previous week.

Performance and Assessment

To best prepare the child for the next stage of learning and beyond, we believe every child at our school should strive to excel and make best use of his or her capabilities and talents. To do this we provide a challenging and supportive approach to learning and the development of the whole child.

There are many aspects of this whole commitment. One essential aspect is to continuously assess and monitor progress for each child. This allows staff and each individual child to understand the progress and achievements made and to be aimed for. It also provides a foundation on which parents can discuss, understand and support their children's development with the staff.

As parents you will be informed of the process of assessment through formal and informal reviews. We will discuss how your child has progressed, what they have achieved, what their next targets are and the support needed to achieve them.

One of the important steps in the life of children and parents is the move from Infant to Junior education. To ensure this move runs smoothly we ensure the receiving school is well informed of the individual pupil's progress and achievements.

Hermitage children give support to The Oaktree Children during lunch time groups and with a buddying system.

The majority of The Oaktree School pupils move to The Hermitage School which is situated on the adjoining site.

We are proud of the close liaison between the two schools. All INSET days (in service training days for teachers) are arranged to coincide. Coordinators from both schools meet termly to ensure progression and to share new ideas. During subject focus weeks, such as Book Week and Science and Technology Week, there are visits arranged between the schools to share achievements.

The Hermitage Junior School operates the Surrey Admission Policy and currently there is no automatic transfer from the Oaktree to the Hermitage School. The Governing Bodies of both the Oaktree and Hermitage Schools are working with the Local Education Authority in order to give priority to Oaktree children wishing to attend the Hermitage School but the Education Committee has not yet given their approval.

Access to school record

Records are marked 'Confidential' as they are not open documents in the sense that a pupil's records may be consulted by anyone. They are 'confidential' to the school and to the child's parent and guardians.

The records are very important in enabling teachers to communicate how well a child is progressing and learning. Parents may read their child's records, although we find it more helpful to discuss progress with the child's teacher as fuller explanations can be given than is possible to document on official records.

Access to records is arranged through the Headteacher.

Complaints

Should you have a complaint to make at any time, please contact your child's teacher initially. If you are still unhappy about a decision, the Headteacher should be contacted.

Responding to Parents Concerns

Please contact your child's teacher for queries or concerns about any aspect of your child's schooling, they will be only too happy to speak with you. For guidance, Surrey County Council has produced a leaflet called "Responding to Parents Concerns". A copy of this is available to everyone from the school office.

Applying for a school place

Should you decide to send your child to our school it is essential for you to complete a formal application form and post or hand it in to school.

You are only allowed to fill in one application form and present it to one school. A form is available from our school office.

Your child will be ready to start school in the September of the academic year in which they will have their 5th birthday. It is essential that your application form is handed in before the closing date. All applications for a place in our Reception classes must be received by the October prior to your child's September admission to school. The exact date is set each year by Surrey County Council - details can be obtained from the school office.

The Oaktree School has an admission number of 90 children, which means that these numbers of children can be taken into each age group. When there are more applications than places available, Surrey's policy is to admit children in the following order;

Where entry is sought for a child older than five at a date later than the official acceptance date, the Headteacher will be able to inform you if your child can be accepted.

If the school is full in the appropriately requested year group, you may request that your child's name is added to our waiting list.

Visiting the school

SCHOOL YEAR DATES

Arrangements for admission to The Oaktree School are as follows:.

First priority: Looked-after children Children who are registered as being in the care of the Local Authority (LA) for example, fostered or living in a children's home.

Second priority: Exceptional arrangements Occasionally there will be a very small number of children for whom exceptional arrangements will apply. These exceptional arrangements may override other admissions priorities and the LA may apply them when they first offer places. The LA may also ask schools to admit over their Published Admission Number at other times under this category.

Third priority: Brothers and sisters (siblings) After 'Exceptional arrangements', places are then offers to siblings. A sibling is a child who will have an older brother or sister still at the school concerned or a junior school on an adjoining or shared site at the time of the younger sibling's admission. (So, a younger sibling will be given priority for admission only if the older sibling will still be at the school in September 2009)

All Staff, Governors and Parent Helpers are CRB checked. We have in place a system of identification to ensure that everyone knows who has been CRB checked.

There is a continuous updating of Safeguarding training for all staff and governors to ensure that everyone understands what to look for and what to do if they are concerned about a child. We have a system for reporting concerns within the school. The Child Protection Liaison Officer, Mrs Alder, will then refer a concern to the Child Protection Team if necessary. We work with all agencies to ensure that our children are safe.

At The Oaktree School we ensure that the children have an important role in the development of the school and their learning.

We consult with the children every week to find out what they liked about their learning during the week and what could have been better. The information gathered during these sessions is discussed termly by the Learning Committee, which is made up of children and teachers.

The School Council is made up of elected representatives from each class. This year one of the areas that the School Council identified for development and helped with was the redesigning of the class book comers. They also helped with the resourcing of Lilly the Learning Bus.

Sunrise Breakfast Club 7.15am to 8.40 am

Sundowners 3.10 pin to 5.45 pm